Highway safety device



May 3 T. R R ICHEY HIGHWAY SAFETY DEVICE Filed May 4. 1925 an iii I UITED STATES: .Pn-ENTqFFicE;'

- HIGHWAYFSAFETY nnvrcn.

Application filed May 4, 1925. Serial No. 27,811.

' My invention relates to a highway safety rail 8 of the track 2, thereisanchored in the device especially adapted to prevent accihighwaya log,preferably a concrete log 4. dents at railway crossings. Each logprotrudes avsuitable distance above I The object of my invention'is toprovide the highway and may be formed in the shape 5' a safety devicewhich will insure careful of a half cylinder thereby providingreceddriving at, railroad crossings. Myjdevi'ce ing shoulders 5. Eachlog at its uppermost contemplates forcing the vehicle-driver to, portion6 may protrude above the highway slow down at crossings'to a slow rateof any suitable distance for example, siX' or speed so thatampleopportunity may be af-, seven inches. Each log 4 is anchored or 10"ford'edto discover that a train is approachembedded in thehighway for adistance of ing. In addition, the'device is so constructabout fourinches, In this manner the por= ed as to serve as a forcible reminder Ithat tions of the shoulders 6 adjacent the highway the railroad tracksare. near Will be protected from breaking d t heavy I am aware that theuse of various safety traffic. g a 15 devices at highway cross ngs hasbeen pro- In Fig. 4, the concrete log is shown inteposedbut none of themhave, it appears, gral with the highway being formed as the a I. comeinto practical or successful use. The highway is built, Thisis-advantageous in w main reason which-may be assigned for the thatthere is no difficulty in securing a perfailureof the safetydeviceswhichhave been inanent junction between the log 4: and the 2 proposed istheir complexity andlack of duhighway 1.' '-A.dditionally, thisconstruction rability; I f I v isadvantageous in that the first cost isMydeviceeliminates these defects, being greatly reduced. c I a simple instructure durable and low in ini-, In the modification shown inFig. 5',the I tial cost. I proposeto anchorxin the highlog 7 is 'capped with aniron capping 8 pro- 25 way transversely thereof, on both sides of videdwith a flange 9 embedded in concrete.

the railway track, at a lsuitable; distance The capping may be an ironalloy for eX- therefronn a protruding element such as a ample, onecontaining vanadium which is log, preferably a solid concrete log. Thewell known to be a. great strengthener of presence thereof will usuallybe noted by eel, acting in a large measure against the vehicle-driverasheapproaches the crossdynamic strains. In Fig. 6, the capping l0 ingcausing him to slow down but if he is is provided with flanges 11, whichserve to '85 absent-minded, as is frequently the case, as ffe y 81101101e ppi si n ig- 7, he passes over the protruding element or the capping11 extends around theedges of mass the vehiclewill bejolted and thevithe log 12 which are adjacent to the high- 35 brations willjbetransmitt d to th driver way 1, as at 13, and additionally, is pronotifying andremindinghim that it is necesvided with a ccntralfiange Ll.Thebolt 15 I sary to slowdown. v passing through the flanges 13 andliacts In thee-drawing which embodies my invenin conjunction therewithas a reinforcement. tion in its preferred form, Fig, 1. i a er- It isobvious thatin the constructions shown 40 spective view showingconcretelogs anchored in Figures 5, 6 and 7, the concrete logmay be inthe highway transversely" thereof on both integral withth highway, andthe iron sides of the railway track; L capping can be set in place atthe time the Fig. 2 a perspective view'of the log it highway and theprotrudinglog are initially self; 1 made.

45 Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing Instead of making the log ofconcrete or the log'embedded or anchored in the road; with ,a metalcapping, the entire log may be Fig. 4: is a cross-sectional modificationin composed of solid met-alor-of hollow metal. which thesafety device isintegral with the In the. latter case, the metal must be one highway,and y 1 adapted-to withstand great dynamic strains. 50 Figs. 5, 6 and 7are cross-sectional views The log may and usually. does stretch of logshaving iron cappings of diflerent transversely across the entirehighway. Ob-

types; s I .viously, thewidth' of the log may'vary but The highway 1 iscrossed by the railway one thirty inches wide has given satisfactrack 2.At a suitable distance from each 'tory results. I

The logs may advantageously be placed on each side of the crossing at adistance of about thirty icet therefrom.

.1 claim:

1. The combination with a highway crossing, of a highway provided with aprotruding element 011 each side of the crossing and extendingtransversely of the entire highway, at a suliicient distance from thecrossing to cause an approaching vehicledriver to slow down before thecrossing is reached.

2. The combination with a highway crossing, or ahighway provided with aprotruding concrete log on each side of the crossing and extending trisverseiy of the highway, at a sui'iicient distance from the crossing tocause an approaching vehicle driver to slow down beiore the crosiiiig isreached.

Tihe combination with a highway crossing, or a highway provided with aprotrucb ing concrete log on each side of the crossing and extendingtransversely of the entire highway, at a suilicient distance from thecrossing to cause'an approaching Vehicledriver to slow down before thecrossing is reached.

The combination with a highway cross ing, of a highway provided with aprotruding concrete log in the shape of a half cylinder on each side ofthe crossing and 8X- tendiiig transversely of the entire highway, at asntiicient distance from the crossing as to cause an approachingvehicle-driver to slow down before the crossing is reached.

5. The combination with a highway crossing, oi a higl'iway provided witha protrudingelement on each side oi the crossing embedded in andextending transversely oi the highway, at a sufficient distance .fromthe crossing to cause an approaching vehicledriver to slow down beforethe crossing is reached, said protruding element being composed of aconcrete base and a metal capping resistant to dynamic strains.

6. fhe combination with a highway crossing, of a highway provided with aprotruding element on each side of the crossing embedded in andextending transversely of the highway, at a sufficient distance from thecrossing to cause an approaching vehicledriver to slow down before thecrossing is reached, said protruding element being composed of aconcrete base and a metal capping permanently atcached to the concreteand resistant to dynamic strains.

7. The combination with a highway crossing, of a highway provided with aprotruding element on each side of the crossing embedded in andextending transversely of the highway, at a suiiicientdistance from thecrossing to cause an approaching vehicle'- driver to slow down beforethe crossing is reached, said protruding element being composed of aconcrete base and a metal capping made of an iron vanadium alloy and resistant to dynamic strains.

8. The combination with a highway crossing, of a highway provided with aprotruding element on each side of the crossing embedded in andextending transversely of the highway, at a sufficient distance from thecrossing to cause an approaching vehicledriver to slow down before thecrossing is reached, said protruding element being composed of aconcrete base and a metal capping inade of an iron alloy and resistantto dynamic strains.

9. The combination with a highway crossing, oi a highway provided with aprotruding element on each side of the crossing embedded in andextending transversely of the highway, at a sulhcicnt distance from thecrossing to cause an approaching vehicledriver to slow down before thecrossing is reached, said protruding element being c0inposen of aconcrete base and a metal capping provided with flanges at the edges ofthe concrete base adjacent to the highway.

10. The combination with a highway crossing, of a highway provided witha protruding element on each side of the crossing embedded in andextending transversely of the highway, at a sufiicient distance from thecrossing to cause an approaching vehicledriver to slow down before thecrossing is reached, said protruding element being C0111- posed of aconcrete base and a metal capping provided with a central flange andside flanges, the capping being tied to the concrete base by atransverse member extending through said flanges.

11. The combination with a highway crossing, or" a highway provided witha protruding element on each side of the crossing embedded in andextending transversely of the highway, a sufiicient distance from thecrossing to cause an approaching vehicledriver to slow down before thecrossing is reached, said protruding element being composed of aconcrete base and a metal-alloy capping provided with a central flangeand side flanges, the capping being tied to the concrete base by atransverse member extending through said flanges.

12. As a new article of manufacture, a safety device adapted to extendtransversely of a highway at a predetermined distance from the highwaycrossing comprising a shaped concrete member provided with a permanentmetal capping.

In testimony whereof he hereunto aiiiXes his signature.

THOMPS ROBIJS RICHEY.

